Equipment warranties - keeping receipts

[keithy]

I just had a failure in my Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Pillow on the first night of the Falls Creek to Hotham walk.

It was a bit disappointing to find a slow leak and my head on the mat halfway through the night. I did love this pillow. I'm not sure when I bought it but think it was circa 2017 or perhaps earlier. I don't always pack this pillow, on longer hikes I stuff a down jacket inside a dry bag, but on short walks like this I'll pack it for a bit of comfort.

I've been through all my emails looking for the purchase receipt but wasn't sure if I bought it online, or just bought it from a shop (I reckon either Paddy Pallin or Mountain Designs).

Anyway, I've contacted STS warranty, but they insist on a receipt or proof of purchase. Do you guys keep all receipts for all your gear?

I'll keep looking through credit card receipts over the past 3/4 years, but I reckon it'll be like finding a needle in a haystack.

I didn't think I'd need to keep the receipt for a $50 pillow, but I started to keep my receipts for larger more expensive items now.

[CraigVIC]

Your email should have a search function so you can just put in 'Aeros' to find it if you bought online.

I think states are different but my understanding is in Victoria you just need reasonable proof, e.g. a $50 transaction on your credit card statement from paddy palin.

My credit card (westpac) also has a search function if I sign in on the website. Could be worth checking if yours does too.

[keithy]

Yea thanks. I already tried that with my online emails. I suspect it might be on one of my older emails, a work email, or my old ISP email I have the harddrive from that computer with an Outlook PST file, but I no longer have Outlook.

If it was from Paddy's or Wild Earth's ebay store, I might be able to find it on ebay, else I don't know how much more time I'll spend looking for it. At least with the snap lockdown I'll have something to do this weekend.

[CraigVIC]

I had one of these pillows and it leaked after very minimal use. When I put it in the sink it had dozens of tiny holes all over the surface which seemed much more like a failure of the material than any sort of puncture. I bought it at the mountain designs close out so I never thought to do anything about it, just threw it out.

On the general issue I keep almost all receipts for anything that I could reasonably expect might fail/breakdown believing it is a sensible way to not lose money and keep companies accountable. My partner nearly never keeps receipts believing it is a character flaw showing one to be pernikety and miserly. One (only?) advantage of loyalty clubs is they keep a record of what you've bought and when.

[wildwanderer]

I also had a STS pillow, also failed with multiple tiny holes after a few trips. Will never buy again.

I'd search for your banking record. Then follow up with the retail store as they are more likely to have a record of the purchase if you can give them a date.

If all else fails contact your state dept of fair trading.

According to the ACCC
'as long as you can reasonably demonstrate that you purchased an item, a business may be breaking the law if it denies your right to a refund, repair or replacement for an item that fails to meet a consumer guarantee.

Even without the receipt you could potentially argue that it's a branded product that could only come from STS. It might have a product code or something on it? From which STS could tell the time of manufacture.

Though as you said it's a lot of trouble for a $50 pillow.

[Eremophila]

I use the good ol’ shoebox method. All receipts go in the box, once or twice a year I sort through and throw out those which are no longer relevant. Receipts for clothing, equipment, whatever. Anything of larger value is generally scanned or I take a photo, if it’s an EFT receipt which will fade.

Retailer memberships come in handy for this, if you have an account then everything is traceable.

My shoebox has been surprisingly handy for a number of unexpected returns. $100 cheapo pressure washer from Bunnings, probably been used 3 times. Failed within the 12-month warranty period. Replaced. $100 external HDD, Seagate. Used twice for backups then died. Warranty is for 3 years. Replaced.

[Warin]

The ink can fade on receipts.
Photograph them ... much easier to store and search them - particularly if you give them a name with store and product.

[ribuck]

Do you use Google Drive? You can photograph your receipts with the Google Drive app and it will file them away and make the text searchable for easy retrieval later.

Details here:
https://support.google.com/drive/answer ... roid&hl=en

[Lamont]

I use the good ol’ shoebox method.

You crazy cat!







Me too.

[ChrisJHC]

Anything below $50 I don’t bother.

Above $50 I photograph them and file them in a folder that I imaginatively call “Receipts”.

[keithy]

Just an update on my sitch.

Went through my credit card statements and found one from Paddy Pallin that looked like it was the purchase. I only worked that out as the next day I had ordered a Sea to Summit dry backpack from the Scout Store online in SA. I wouldn't normally have ordered from SA, but I recall I went to Paddys store and they didn't have the pack in stock so went home and found it in stock online - and this time I had the online receipt.

After sending info I didn't hear back from S2S for 2 months, so gave up.... until last week! S2S said they would replace the pillow so I was pleasantly surprised. I had already taken my leaking pillow apart - couldn't see any visible holes. So sent them the pic of the destroyed pillow. I went back through my recollection and photos to work out how many nights the pillow was used. I reckon it was around 70 nights or less.

Anyway, glad that S2S honoured their lifetime warranty on this - I've just bought a new Ether XT insulated for a winter trip and that one was online so I have the receipt on email.

But now I'll take photos of my physical store receipts for warranty purposes as well.

[Lamont]

Onya Keithy sounds a good outcome-email receipts are gold! ........................................................and get a shoe box just in case that fails.

[Equivocator]

If I buy it from Brick/Mortar these days I'll snap a pic on my phone and email it to myself before I leave the parking lot.
I'll most definitely lose the physical receipt within the next few hours.

[Troy]

Receipt Storage
-A4 Paper Box taped box and lid for durability, second lid on bottom for reinforcement-labelled with thick black marker both sides.
-A4 Plastic Pouches preferably with button to seal-labelled.
-A4 Plastic sleeves for the receipt-labelled.
-Photocopy original receipt(s), more than one - then on different paper repeated, stapled onto paper (lose or damaged one and still have the other). Discovered too late ink has deteriorated due to lower quality and did not do/have the above, but some still readable after eleven years, but just keep out of light and friction.

Good for unfulfilled plans as well.

Method to my madness!

Digital storage like preparing for tax is another option, but can't recommend any app, but google drive mentioned above suggests longevity, unlike apps, phones and hard drives. E-mail and a folder in your email may be an option space and size permitting.

[GregG]

Good for unfulfilled plans as well.

Heeeey, are you saying you can get all your unfulfilled plans into an A4 box? I keep mine in a shipping container, hehehe.